NEW BOOKS AND NEW EDITIONS

New Zealand Mail, 17 September 1902, Page 29

NEW BOOKS AND NEW EDITIONS

‘New Fairy Tales from Brentano.” T Fisher Unwin, London, 'b. and V> Mackay, Wellington.

These five- very quaint, original and interesting stories have been translated into English by Kate Froiligrath Kroeker and illustrated by tho famous cartoonist Mr F. Carrutliers Gould. They are new and quite -different from the ordinary fairy tales and for that reason as well as for the entrancingly interesting manner in which they are told. They all end happily; so there is no fear of any child being rendered nervous by tlie perusal of any one of them, hut on tlie contrary all will be pleased and fascinated by the simple and interesting narratives. The descriptive pictures are also highly commendable.

“Practice of Supreme Court and Court or Appeal of New Zealand.” By Sir Robert Stout. K.C.M.G., Chief Justice of the Supremo Court of New Zealand, and vVilliam Alexander Sim, Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. 2nd edition by William Alexander Sim, Wliitcombo and Tombs, Wellington.

This l.s one of the few law books published in New Zealand and the only one other than that useful annual, “Cumin’s Index,” that has reached a second edition. The editor lias brought the work right up to date, and it contains all the alterations in the rules since 1892. the date of the publication of tlie first edition. The references io New Zealand and English cases are up to tlie date of the- publication of tiie book (viz., 19021 and are set out at sufficient length to give the practitioner all the information lie requires. We compliment the editor and commend the work to practitioners knowing the usefulness of the first edition.

“The Silver Gate.” By CL ForestierWalker. Greening and Co., London. Whiteombe and Tombs, Wellington.

Whether it is possible for a woman to reach the supreme height of loving twice in her lifetime is a question so often put and so seldom answered. Women will almost unanimously agree that it is not possible; men, in whom of course the bump c;f vanity is more strongly developed than in the weaker sex, will wisely dismiss the subject bysaying that of course it is possible, and will temporarily become apparently dead to the world around them, doubtless looking back into the already dim past, when the loves of some “dear dead women” (Swinburne sings) for the- moment filled their lives. In Mr ForestierWalker’s powerful novel, “Tho Silver Gate," tho question is put and answered in three distinct phases—the simple country life, the streets of midnight London, and the Great World as lived in country houses. The study of a girl’s character who is prepared to make for her first love the supreme sacrifice—and the agony of mind that slio goes through later when she sees tlie -possibility of wliat she had been reader to do. may wreck the ideal life she ieaas when slio loves for the second time—is sharply yet tenderly told, and the sidelights of tho best and worst of society which are thrown on the picture help to accentuate what we believe to be a true story.

“The Comedy of Progress.” By Reginald Turner. Greening and Co., Loudon. Whiteombe and Tombs, Wellington,

Tho study of a beautiful and successful woman at an age when her beauty is waning and her success has to be fought for, cannot fail to interest all classes of readers. Mr Reginald Turner in his' new novel treats life far more seriously than in his light story of tlie stage, “Cynthia's Damages” ; Ins aim is to write down modern life as it is, and tho question he asks'is, “Is it worth living ?” and if so, “What is the secret which makes it worth living?” He suggests that “Progress” is not a steady advance, but rather a going round in a circle. In working out this suggestion he introduces many modern types, all dealt lightly with, all possessing a human interest, talking and acting like real men and women. There is a great tragedy in the story, but it is not a sad book. The struggle of a great soul to bo worthy of itself is presented to the reader without any dull or morbid details. Tho second character in the book, a young man of great ability but no great strength of character, whose strength is drawn from the support his women friends give him, is one which will appeal to many, and the type, though not new, is dealt with in an original way. “The Comedy of Progress” is a book which should be read by all who want to laugh quietly, and by those who caro to think when they laugh. It is a problem story in the sense that all stories about real life contain a problem, but its chief interest lies in the simple intrigue and . tho leading characters who tako part Tn it. Some of the minor characters in the book

will be recognised by readers, and while tiie descriptions of social and Parlialnetary life are dealt with in a fanciful way, they will be found true to the •spirit which informs both Society and Parliament.